imaginary egg?

[Chickenlittle14]

My younger hen acts like she has an egg in her box but there's nothing there. What could be the problem. I first felt under her and she gave me a light peck and let me move my hand further under her. There's nothing there. I picked her up with ruffled feathers and all and put her out with the others. She went and drank some water, ate, and pecked the yard with the others. I put her nesting box on top of the coop and went in the house for a few minutes, came back out and didn't see her. She was in the nesting box on top of the coop. What could be wrong? Is she trying to lay an egg and it's stuck or does she think there's a egg in her nesting box? This started two days ago.

 

[Triple Willow]

Sounds like she might be going broody.

 

[subhanalah]

Sounds like she might be going broody.

this

 

[drumstick diva]

She wants to be broody - hatch eggs. When a hen goes broody they will even sit on a rock, straw, thin air and intend to hatch it.

They puff up and peck if you bother them - some won't leave the nesting box even for food or water or poo. If this happens you have to put them OUT of the nesting box and outdoors to take care of essentials.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

X3....Sounds like she is broody. They will fluff up and growl at you, peck at your hands, cluck cluck cluck all over the place when out of the box.

Enjoy your flock and welcome to ours!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! There are a couple of nice articles in the Learning Center on broody hens you might want to check out https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-and-raising-chicks

 

[gander007]

 

[chickenfarmgirl]

probably a broody hen!

 

[Chickenlittle14]

I think you all nailed it!!! She is trying so hard to get back into the coop it's funny. She's pacing, jumping on top of the coop so I put her in another yard to see how she does but I'm sure as soon as night falls she'll be the first to be in side the coop. I'll just lock her out of it again and again every day until she comes to her senses.

Thank you all...........

 

[sourland]

Yep, she's broody - locking her away from her nest site will serve to 'break' her.